Page 176 of Fractured Future

“Don’t. I’m here for answers. That’s all.”

Taking the empty metal chair opposite his cuffed state, Ember sits down. I move to stand in the corner of the room, giving me direct sight of them. If Madden tries anything, he’s toast.

“You’re looking a bit more with it,” Madden observes, lazily checking her out. “Feeling any better?”

“I’m not here to talk about me.”

“Ah. That’s your first lie.”

Body tensing, Ember stares daggers at the man across from her. “Why were you attending that meeting? How do you know Luis and Diego?”

“Straight down to business with no foreplay, hm? My kind of girl.”

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Crossing her arms, Ember shows no sign of rising to his teases. “Thank you for saving me. You’re a fucking hero. Are we good now? Answer my questions.”

“You don’t do gratitude real well. Do you, sweetheart?”

“It’s not my strong suit, no.”

“That’s okay. I’m not here for your thanks.”

Ember narrows her eyes on him. “Then why are you here?”

“For you,” he says simply.

Their back and forth is painfully mesmerising. I know firsthand that Ember’s a certified ballbreaker, but seeing her refusing to pander to Madden is particularly satisfying.

“I asked for a rematch in exchange for answers.”

“You’re heading straight back to prison from this room,” she denies. “No rematch. Just tell us what you know about Gael.”

“You drive a hard bargain. What’s in this for me?”

“Your life,” I insert. “We can just as easily lose your body and falsify the records to make it look like you never stepped foot inside this building.”

Head tossed back, Madden stares up at the ceiling for a moment to gather his thoughts. His raven hair is messy, long strands sticking in all directions above the closely cropped sides.

It’s pleasant to see him looking unkempt, even while he talks like some aristocratic asshole. I’ll feel even better when he’s rotting behind bars with zero possibility of ever escaping again.

“Fine,” he concedes. “I’ll play.”

“Then start talking,” Ember orders.

“Antonio Gael is a business associate.”

“So you do work for him.” Her face stains red with beautiful rage. “You son of a bitch!”

“A business associate of my father’s. Not mine.”

Startled by his response, I look between them, trying to pull the discordant pieces of this tale together.

“Your… father?” Ember squints at him.

“Yes. I do not work for Gael.”

Once upon a time, Madden spearheaded his father’s criminal empire. Nolan Madden built a dynasty on blood, dirty moneyand extortion, with his son providing the brute force to fortify their criminal legacy.